Art of War 10.5
The Art of War (孫子兵法), Terrain 地形篇
挂形者敵無備出而勝之敵若有備出而不勝難以返不利
From a position of this sort, if the enemy is unprepared, you may sally forth and defeat him. But if the enemy is prepared for your coming, and you fail to defeat him, then, return being impossible, disaster will ensue.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Lionel Giles's notes
不利 (an example of litotes) is paraphrased by Mei Yao-ch‘ên as 必受制 “you will receive a check.”
Character glossary
- 挂guàto suspend, to put up, to hang; suspense
- 形xíngform, shape; to appear; to describe; to
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 敵díenemy, foe, rival; to match; to resist
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 備bèito prepare; to get ready, to equip; read
- 出chūto go out, to send out; stand; produce
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 勝shèngvictory; to excel, to truimph
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 若ruòif, supposing, assuming; similar
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 難nánhard, difficult, arduous; unable
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 返fǎnto restore, to return, to revert to
- 利lìgains, advantage, profit, merit
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.